Victims of crime urged to complete survey to improve criminal justice system
The survey, which is anonymous, aims to help improve the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland.
Victims of crime across the country are being urged to complete an online survey before the end of the month.
The survey, which is anonymous, aims to help improve the criminal justice system in Northern Ireland.
It closes on 31st March 2024.
The survey, organised by the Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime, is designed to capture the evidence of how victims are treated in the criminal justice system and to inform on recommendations for improvements.
Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime Geraldine Hanna said:
“My job is to be the voice for victims of crime, and I am keen to hear from people right across Northern Ireland. I would like to hear from anyone who has been a victim of crime and/or reported a crime to the police from 2018 onwards. We often hear the individual experiences of victims of crime in the media which helps to highlight problems with the system. “
Geraldine Hanna spoke to CoolFM/Downtown exclusively, saying about 50% of victims don’t report crime for a variety of reasons: “With a lot of crimes, including both domestic and sexual abuse there can be a sense of shame felt by the victim. So, what we would try to do is try and break down that barrier by ensuring all of us are educated in why people don’t report these crimes… No victim ever deserves to be a victim, and I think sometimes people fear that they will be judged for actions they’ve taken but I want to b very clear – crime is never the victim’s fault. It’s always the perpetrators.”
She added: “It’s also important for victims to note this is for victims of all types of crime. So, it doesn’t matter what crime it’s been, as long as it’s happened since 2018, and it doesn’t have to have been reported to police. In fact, I’m really keen to hear from those who haven’t reported their crime to the police. Particularly the reasons why – because again, this will help us address any barriers there may be for people reporting.”
“Through this survey I want to quantify the scale of the issues faced by victims of crime so we can better make the need for the system to change.”
Anyone who would like to request the survey in a different format or needs assistance to complete this form over the telephone, can contact the Commissioner for Victims of Crime office at haveyoursay@cvocni.org or on 028 9052 6607.
Survey participants can stop participation at any point and if any victims need support to deal with the impact of the crime, they are responding about they can contact one of the support services available whose details can be found here https://www.cvocni.org/useful-organisations.